Users have access to an ever increasing variety of content that may be output in a wide variety of ways. For example, a user may view traditional television programming received over a network by using a client, such as a set-top box. The user may also view pay-per-view movies, order video-on-demand (VOD) content, interact with a video game, play music, and so on. The user may also access content locally on the client, such as from a digital video disc (DVD), broadcast content stored on a hard disk drive for viewing in the future (e.g., a digital video recorder), and so on.
To navigate through this even increasing variety of content, the user may interact with user interface which displays representations of the content, such as an electronic program guide (EPG). For example, the EPG may enable the user to observe a listing of television programs that are currently being streamed, as well as a listing of television programs that will be streamed in the future. Additionally, the EPG may allow the user to navigate to a television program from the EPG itself. For instance, the user may select a representation of a television program to cause the client to tune to that television program.
Traditionally, an EPG is configured to locate particular content items of interest, such as a particular television program. However, content may also be known by the name of the provider instead of by the name of the content itself. For instance, a user may want to watch the “Weather Channel” and not know the name of any particular content item that is available via the Weather Channel. A traditional EPG, however, does not address the channels themselves and rather is focused on the content items that are available via the channels.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for searching of electronic program guide (EPG) data that addresses channels and channel characteristics.